Question

How can I get my baby to eat from a spoon?

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My baby will eat all kinds of finger foods, but he won't eat cereal or pureed foods that I hold up to his mouth with a spoon. I've let him hold it and play with it, but he still won't eat from it. Do other parents have this problem? What should I do?

Mom Answers

For those mommies with 4-6 months olds who won't take a spoon, it is probably because they are not ready for solids yet. Depending on when your ped. went to school they will tell you different times to start solids. Mine was strict about waiting until 6 months. My son was showing signs of being ready before then but we are waiting. 9 days and couting!Don't rush it-as long as they are getting some sort of solids before 8 months don't worry. The majority of their nutrition should come from breastmilk or formula now anyway. Second tip-if you are having trouble getting your little ones to eat solids consider making their baby food (Super Baby Food is a wonderful book to pick up) so they are eating more of what you are eating. Also, sit them with the family at the table during mealtimes if possible (even if they aren't eating), give them a empty bowl or plate at their highchair. Show them that you are eatin but don't pressure them and maybe they will get more interested.

My daughter also avoids being fed with a spoon. It was like being in a battlefield. So I decided to offer her finger foods and she eats it happily. I offer her mashed potato balls, rice, cheese, meat sticks, mac and cheese and diced fruits/veggies. She really like table time foods which are convenient and easy to cut up. She is now 10 months and eats all sorts of finger foods. By the way, she doesn't even have teeth! Good Luck.

My daughter has never liked the consistency of baby food. When she was smaller (6-7 months) we bought a baby food grinder, and she really liked that. There is more texture in the food. Now that she is 11 months she only wants finger foods or things off our plate. We have found she does much better if we use an "adult" plate and spoon to feed her things like applesauce and yogurt, and we give her anything she can pick up (eggs, bananas, baby peas).

My daughter is almost 10 months old now and for nearly the last month she has REFUSED her babyfood completely. She has always been a little finicky since we started her on cereal at about 5 months. But even since then she would welcome new flavors and textures (pears, most veggies, and apples/chicken were her favorites). But now she won't even eat one spoonful!! It is as if one day she woke up and went on strike. In the morning, before I give her a bottle, I am able to get her to down a few Cheerios if I spread them on her walker tray and pretend I am not looking (I noticed another mom did the same thing - "pretending to ignore"). But it is hardly a meal. I try to buy the healthy baby veggie crackers and other finger foods (Gerber graduates has a great selection and my daughter already has 8 teeth so she CAN handle many of them). But she is just soo stubborn with any of it. If she sees it coming at her she purses her lips so tight and that is the end of it. If I persist she is even worse. ANd forget about spoon feeding her. As far as she is concerned it is poison if in my hands and a toy if in her hands. I recently got her to start liking shredded cheese. But that is the extent of it. A few Cheerios and a few shreds of cheese. I try to show her by example but she seems to have a mind of her own already LOL. Any suggestions? I am not letting her see my frustration but trust me its there. I worry that she is not getting enough nutrition but she looks healthy and still seems to be growing strong (has always been between 90 - 97 percentile height and weight). Lately, on REALLY bad days (when she doesnt even want cheerios or cheese) I give her a little extra formula in her last bottle of the night. Sometimes she won't even drink her formula unless I pour it into a real "big-people" cup and let her sip out of it while I hold it. Other times all she wants is a bottle (that I have to hold too because she still won't hold it herself even though I know she CAN, which is odd because the finger foods she WILL eat she will only eat if she feeds herself). And the military docs (my hubby is Army) all have something different (if anything) to say about it so they are no help. I know this comment is long-winded and all over the place but I would really appreciate if someone could shed some light or offer some suggestions.

What a relief to hear I'm not the only one battling at meal times! My son is 8 mos. old & has refused baby food & pureed table food for the past 2 weeks. The only thing he'll take from a spoon is yogurt. I've offered him lots of other types of foods - chunks of melon & pears, cooked apples, cooked carrots & squash - but the only finger foods he'll eat (even if he's feeding himself) are cereal puffs and bananas. I worry about him getting the right nutrition, but his dr assures me that formula is still his primary source of nutrition, so I'm trying not to sweat it, despite how frustrating it is. I'm sure it's just a way of expressing his independence, which he's just discovered he has!

Oh, I also want to say that she will eat just about anything we eat (as long as it is maleable for her). Pasta from our soup, potatoes, tender pieces of meat pureed or cut very small. You just have to be ready to experiment! It can be tiresome, especially for the working mom who's too tired to cook at the end of the day!

My 9 mos. daughter will only eat jarred green beans and yogurt from the spoon . Everything else she insists on doing herself - cheese, pasta, cut up peas, blueberries (very messy), cooked carrots. But this is touch and go all the same. I add oatmeal to her beans (iron). This also makes it more lumpy so she gets used to the texture.

I am having the same problem. My son is almost 5 months old. I started with the cereal on a spoon and he took it for a week, then refused to take it, so I put it in his bottle. Now we are on baby food, one day he accepts it and the next day I have to fight with him. Is he just testing me? Any suggestions?

We had couldn't get our son to eat rice cereal from a spoon when we tried at 6 months. We tried most days for a few weeks, thinking he'd just get used to it, but it didn't seem to help. He would grab the spoon and try to do it himself, but he couldn't get any food in. When I tried he'd shut his mouth - he wanted to feed himself, but he couldn't. It was so frustrating. Then I started making his food thick and letting him use his hands and he liked that. He didn't eat that much at first but now at 8 months he really enjoys himself and eats pretty well. It's messy but he's getting the food and we're having a good time. I puree regular veggies thick for him too instead of the jars - he loves sweet potatoes. I figure it's just a short phase before eating table food so who cares if I use the spoon or he makes a mess? At least he's eating and having good experiences with food. Oh and I highly recommend "Child of Mine" by Ellyn Satter about learning to feed your child.

We are having the same problem. Our 7 month old HATES baby food and always has. It has been a constant struggle. He will chew on any table food I offer and seems to love to self feed. However we are worried that he will choke on peices of veggies and fruits no matter how soft, so we feel reluctant to give him finger foods. This is very frustrating so I understand your concern. Our doctor also told us she would like him to gain more weight, but how do you do that with a baby that won't eat?

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